Under Article 51 of the 2024 Personal Status Law, effective from 15 April 2025, each spouse has a separate financial estate. Where that law applies, marriage alone does not give one spouse half the other’s assets or authority to dispose of them.
The same article permits a spouse who contributed to developing the other’s property, building a home or a similar undertaking to claim their share. Establish the contribution and resulting entitlement with the available evidence; this is not a fixed percentage of all assets or an automatic transfer of company shares.
The separate federal civil personal-status regime for non-Muslims and applicable Abu Dhabi civil arrangements require their own assessment of eligibility and financial remedies. Keep ownership records, share registers, payment evidence and agreements together, distinguishing a gift, loan, investment and contribution rather than relying on the account name alone.
A practical next step
Prepare an asset-and-debt schedule and a timeline of purchases and contributions. Review these alongside the marriage documents before agreeing a financial settlement or transferring property or shares.
Official sources
Personal Status Law — Articles 1 and 51
Civil Personal Status Law — applicability and financial claims
Civil Family Court — post-divorce financial orders
Adapted from a photo post shared on Dr. Bahrami’s Instagram and checked against official sources. This page provides the updated guidance.